Field of the Invention
The invention relates to elevators, elevator allocation for a user, and a method and a system for elevator allocation based on a determination of walker speed.
Description of the Related Art
Even in buildings with less than ten floors, the correct allocation of elevator cars, that is, elevator cages to serve elevator calls from different floors is essential for quick response time and reduced time spent in travelling in the elevator. The time spent in the elevator is dependent on the number of intermediate floors visited and the time the elevator car doors are kept open. The problem is exacerbated in high rise buildings even though in high rise buildings the floors are usually serviced by short-distance and long-distance elevators so that only specific floors are accessible by the long-distance elevators. As is well known, elevator calls may be made from floors and from the elevator cars. An elevator call may be understood as a command for the elevator car to visit a specific floor. In modern elevator systems a user of the elevator may specify for the elevator the destination floor already when making the elevator call from a floor, that is, outside the elevator car. Herein the term elevator may be used to refer to the elevator car for simplicity. For improved elevator response time, it must be possible to minimize the time elevator car door are kept open. Naturally, closing the doors when there are still incoming passengers and there is still room in the elevator car is perceived as annoying. In present elevator systems the elevator users must come to a specific place where an elevator call keypad is located to make the elevator call. In many cases the keypad is directly in front of the elevators, but it may be also located at some distance from the elevators.
Access systems control access to a building and different areas within the building. Modern access systems rely on proximity cards that are brought to the vicinity of a proximity card reader. The proximity cards also serve as an identification of the cardholder. Therefore, it is possible to know where the cardholder is located at the instant of card reading. With the introduction of more powerful transmitters to the proximity cards, it becomes possible to just to pass a proximity card reader in order to read the proximity card.
In order to improve the service offered by an elevator system, it would be beneficial to be able to predict when an elevator user arrives at the elevators. It would also be beneficial to determine when the elevator user actually boards the elevator or whether the user is actually not going to arrive at the elevator as predicted. In this way it would be possible to ensure that elevator doors are not kept open too long.